Fix You
by TabbyReynolds
Summary: Regina and Hook are in love and living happily together, that is until Greg and Tamara torture Regina and she loses her memory. With everyone out of town to save Henry, Hook is the only one left to help her. Maybe their love can't survive this obstacle. Maybe it can.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Regina had heard it said that the place between dreaming and sleeping was a magical place, a place of happiness and possibilities. To her, it was exactly that. Not because it was relaxing or peaceful or whatever reason other people had deemed the state of mind enjoyable, but because she knew it meant that in a few seconds, she would see him.

_Him_.

Captain Hook, the man who had taken up permanent residency on the other side of her bed every evening, the man that had a protective arm around her body every morning when she woke up. Today it was holding her closely to his body; her head was pressed to his bare chest. The first thing she heard that day was his heartbeat.

Regina perched her head up to look closely at Hook. This was her favorite time to see him, when he was asleep. His face was so calm. His usual mask of arrogance was nowhere to be seen. As always, it didn't take him long to feel her gaze on him and all too soon she saw him stir.

"You know, some might find your staring a bit unsettling, Your Majesty."

She smiled as he opened his eyes. His eyes that were bluer than the sea itself.

"_Some_ might be flattered that I find a person so beautiful that I can't help but stare."

He smiled, too. He pulled her up higher so that he could plant a warm kiss on her lips. It was quick and familiar. Regina smiled against his lips before pulling away.

"I had a dream about you."

"Hmm?" she asked lazily as she laid her head back down on his chest. "What was it about?"

"You were in danger and I couldn't help."

"That's not a dream, that's a nightmare," she told him.

"Not if I saved you in the end," he told her.

"Did you?"

"Course I did."

She lifted her hand to draw light circles on his bare skin with her finger. "What was I in danger of?"

He didn't answer right away so she lifted her head again to look at him. He appeared to be deep in thought. Finally he seemed to remember that she was waiting for an answer. "I don't know," he admitted. "I… I can't remember."

She couldn't help but smile a little at how disappointed he looked. "It was just a dream."

Hook nodded and smiled back as he picked up a piece of her hair and toyed with it.

"Time to get up," she told him. He sighed and grabbed her arm before she could get too far. By the time she could even react, he had rolled her onto her back and was on top of her.

"Can't we stay in bed a bit longer, my love?"

"Hook, I am the Queen of these people, the mayor of this town. I can _not_ stay in bed a bit longer."

He pouted so she kissed him once more before lightly shoving him off and rising from the bed. She walked around a little, gathering some of the clothes that between the two of them had been tossed to the floor last night. As she searched her closet for something to wear, she could feel Hook staring at her from behind.

"What?" she asked him without turning around. When there was no answer, she turned to face him and found him still in bed, sitting up now, with a wide grin on his face. "What?" she repeated, unable to hold in a chuckle at his silly expression.

"I love you."

It wasn't the first time he had said it, but every time she heard those words leave his lips it felt like it was. She walked back over to the bed and kissed him, falling down onto his lap and wrapping her legs around him. Perhaps she could stay in bed a bit longer.

An hour later they were both dressed and in the kitchen. The two had come to have somewhat of a routine. Almost every morning, Regina would get them both a cup of tea. Hook had been opposed to drinking such a nonalcoholic beverage at first but he had come to love it, though he would never admit it. While Regina worked on the tea, Hook would make breakfast. Well, "make" might not be the best word, as all he really did was get out the milk and cereal, but Regina appreciated it regardless and Hook always seemed rather proud of his small contribution to their meal.

"Have you heard from the Charming's?" he asked her as they sat down at the kitchen counter next to each other.

"I spoke to Snow. Just over the phone. It wasn't a big deal I just-

"Sounds like a big deal to me. I'm proud of you, darling."

She smiled. "Gold?"

"Passed him on the street yesterday. Kept my distance. We both saw each other though and I didn't make any efforts to hurt him so…"

"So you're doing good."

"We're doing good."

In the weeks that had followed her mother's death, Hook and Regina had taken to becoming each other's support system. They talked about revenge and how difficult it was to obtain and even more difficult to let go of. Regina told him about the anger she felt every time she saw Snow White. Hook told her that he worried Milah would be disappointed that he had given up on avenging her death. That was what had brought them together in the beginning. They could talk to each other and not be judged. They could get support and an understanding smile. It hadn't taken long for their friendship to turn into love.

"So what is this work you have to attend to today?"

"Paperwork, mostly. For starters I need to get Henry's files in order for his new school year."

"What for?"

"What do you mean "what for"? Henry has to attend school." She laughed but she knew the room was about to get tense. She knew where Hook was heading.

"I mean the lad can take up his schooling at home. He can do it the way you did it."

"First of all, home is here. We are home right now." Hook put his spoon down on the table, gearing up for their usual debate. "Second of all, the way I did it was in the Enchanted Forest and you know that is out of the question."

"It's out of the question to take your son to the land where he would like to live? Your _real_ home?"

"Oh, please don't start this again, Hook," she said as she stood up and collected both of their bowls of untouched cereal and headed over to the kitchen sink.

"Can't start something that hasn't ended, love."

"Don't "love" me when you're trying to tell me what's best for my own son."

She heard Hook rise from his seat. "The boy wants to live in a castle! He's asked me more than once about sword fighting and-"

"Sword fighting?" she asked with a laugh as she turned to face him. He stood at the opposite end of the counter. "He's eleven!"

"And unafraid to leave this cursed town you dreamt up or whatever the hell this place is."

"Afraid? You think I'm _afraid_?"

He smirked and Regina wanted to ring his neck. "I think you don't want to go back to the person you were and now you are hiding in bloody Storybrooke.'

"You have all the answers this morning, don't you? You've got it all figured out."

"Splendid!" he yelled, ignoring her sarcasm. "Follow my lead and I'll get us to where we need to be in no time."

"You're delusional."

"Must be all this time spent on land. Tends to go to a pirate captain's head."

"Oh, so "land" is what is making you behave like such a cretin?"

"Don't mock me, Regina."

She wanted to mock him. She wanted to scream at him and maybe through a spell in his direction. Instead, she swallowed her anger and bit her tongue until she tasted blood. She closed her eyes until her anger dissipated. She was surprised to find that it was replaced with sadness.

"Why can't this be enough for you? Storybrooke and tea and this house and…me."

He sighed. "Why can't you care enough about me to be willing to leave with me? All of these things that you have in this town are just objects."

"My _life_ is here, Hook," she told him in an almost pleading tone in one last effort to get him to drop their argument.

Hook seemed to consider it for a moment before a tired dejection appeared on his face. "My life is there."

She didn't know what else to say and neither did he. The room grew silent as the pair merely looked at each other, both eyes filled with longing and love.

Eventually Hook simply turned and left.

Hook was conflicted. Not only did Regina infuriate him, as she always did in their arguments, but she also had managed to make him feel rather sad. The woman was maddening. One minute he was laughing with her and the next she made him see red and the next her face looked so fallen and sad that all he wanted to do was hold her until all the pain he had caused her was gone. That's why he left. He couldn't give in that quickly. He needed to think. He needed rum.

Hook was so caught up in his own thoughts that as he stormed through the house's front gate, he nearly knocked two people over.

"Woah, what's the rush?" one of them asked him. He was a young man with light hair and a smile that Hook didn't particularly trust.

"Attempting to get back to my ship, so if you'll excuse me-"

Hook made to move past the two when the woman reached her hand out to stop him. She was darker than the man, both physically and emotionally. Hook could tell just by looking in her eyes; she seemed malicious.

"Hey, one question before you make a run for it," she said with a grin that could fool anyone. "Whose house were you leaving?"

Hook looked the two up and down before asking the obvious question. "Who are you two?"

The woman was quick to answer. "We're shop owners. We live on the other side of Storybrooke; thought we'd take a walk and see what's around here. This beautiful mansion caught our eyes."

Storybrooke. Just hearing the word of this blasted town set his rage off once more.

"You live in town?" They nodded. "Well then that'd be the house of your beloved mayor," he told them through clenched teeth before storming past the two.

His anger consumed him as he walked away, not even bothering to look back; not aware at all that he had just confirmed to Tamara and Greg that the woman they hoped to capture was right inside that beautiful mansion that caught their eyes.

**A/N: Hello and welcome to my newest multi-fic Hooked Queen story! I'm currently planning out the rest of the chapters for this so once I have all of that organized I will update as much as possible. The rating may change as the story goes on. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the rest!**


	2. Chapter 2

Hook got to his ship quickly and paced like he always did after their fights. He cursed her and considered sailing away and never returning like he always did. He picked up random objects on deck and threw them, ran a frustrated hand through his hair and finally sat down on a step to get his breathing calmed down, like he always did. Their fights were continuously the same: frustrating, sad, quick and frequent.

But pass they did. They always found their way back together. No matter how infuriating Regina was or how stubborn Hook was, they always forgave each other.

And so after a few quick minutes, Hook realized it was time to go back.

He walked slowly to her house, a sense of déjà vu present the whole time. He wondered if this would always be their life together; fighting and making up, loving and loathing, Storybrooke or Fairytale Land.

As he got to her house, however, the similarities to their previous fights vanished. Regina didn't run into his arms as soon as he reached the path to her house. She wasn't at the door, waiting impatiently for him to return. She was nowhere in sight.

"Regina, love?" he called as he entered her house. It was quiet. He listened for the sound of movement but heard nothing. "It's me. I'm back and I'm sorry. Can we move on now?" Still no response.

He walked further into the house. The living room was empty. The dining room untouched. The kitchen looked exactly the same way it did when he stormed out not long ago.

Something was wrong, very wrong.

He left and immediately went to the home of the only people in town that would give him a chance. His and Regina's relationship with the Charming's was complicated to say the least, but a level of acceptance had developed between the group of them. And while other people in town weren't particularly fond of the pirate, or the woman they dreadfully referred to as "evil", he knew the Charming's wouldn't turn him away.

He only had to knock once before Emma knocked on the door.

"Where's Henry?" he asked right away, hurrying past her to get into the apartment. He wanted to make sure the little boy wouldn't hear what they were about to discuss. "Is he here?"

"What? No he's out with Ruby at the-"

"It's Regina."

He heard a laugh coming from the kitchen. "Another fight? You two are going to have to start going to Archie." He recognized Baelfire's voice, or rather, Neal's voice, and walked over to him. He paced behind the counter.

"She's gone."

"Gone? What does that mean, gone?" Emma questioned.

"She's bloody gone! Her house is empty. We had one of our fights and I left and when I returned she was nowhere to be found."

"Alright, slow down. So you did have a fight, then? She's probably just out clearing her head," Neal assured him as he got up and grabbed a can of soda from the refrigerator.

"She isn't. Something is wrong, I just know it."

"I think you might be overreacting, Hook. Regina is perfectly capable of handling herself," Emma said.

Hook slammed his hand down on the counter. "You're not listening to me. I know this woman. I know her. She's a woman of routine. She does the same thing every morning. She does the same thing before bed every night. She is always waiting for me after we fight. I know her. I know something is wrong."

There was a silence as Emma studied Hook and Neal studied Emma.

"You really love her, don't you," Emma asked, though it came off as more of a statement than a question. Hook merely rolled his eyes and laughed once.

"Talk us through the day, Hook. What happened?"

He started pacing again as he recalled the day's events. "We woke up, had breakfast, got into one of our inane spats, I stormed out, ran into two people I had never seen before, went back to my ship, and then went back to her house."

"Two people you've never seen before?"

"Yes, a gentleman and a lady. I didn't quite care for their presence, though. Left rather quickly."

"Did you talk to them?" Neal asked.

"They asked who lived in the house I was leaving. I told them. Then I was on my way."

"You didn't find that a little odd that they were wondering about Regina's house?" Emma asked.

"No, I was a little preoccupied by the yelling match I had just gotten in with the queen," Hook snapped.

"Well what did these two look like?"

"The man had light hair. The woman had dark skin and dark eyes. She was a small lass, quite beautiful, actually. I believe she wore a brown jacket and-"

"You only noticed that the guy had light hair yet you remember the type of coat she was wearing?" Emma scoffed.

"Like I said, she was beautiful. So I noticed things. As I was saying I believe she wore a brown jacket and a gray scarf."

"Wow, we have some great leads with those descriptions, Hook," Neal replied sarcastically.

"Wait, wait, wait… brown jacket and gray scarf. Tamara was wearing that when I bumped into her at Granny's today."

"Not this again," Neal started.

Emma turned to look at him. "Show him a picture of her on your phone."

"Emma, do you know how many people in this world could be wearing something like that today?"

"In Storybrooke? Probably only a few people, so show him a picture."

"I'm just saying the odds of this woman being Tamara-"

"Any odds at all are more than enough-"

"Enough to go accusing my fiancé of-"

"Pardon me, but the very pressing matter of Regina being missing seems to deserve our attention more than your bickering, in my humble opinion," Hook interrupted.

Emma quickly reached onto the table before Neal could react and grabbed what Hook was assuming to be Neal's phone.

"Was this her?" she asked him after she made the device light up. A picture of a woman, the same woman from earlier, appeared.

"Aye, that's her."

Neal and Emma shared a look that was interrupted by Charming and Snow entering the already cramped apartment.

"What's going on?" Snow asked when she noticed the three of them standing close to each other with obvious tension in the room.

"Regina is missing," Hook told her.

"We think," Neal added.

"I'm certain."

"Hook says two people were waiting outside of her house this morning when he left. One of them was Tamara. When he went back to her house, she was gone," Emma explained to her parents.

"Well were there signs of a struggle?" Charming asked.

"No," said Neal.

Snow turned to Hook and he could sense that he was about to be lectured like a child. "You know, Regina has magic. She is perfectly capable of handling herself. And even if Tamara was outside of her house, maybe she was just paying a visit. She's new in town and Regina is the mayor."

Hook didn't have time to argue with her because Emma chimed in and did it for him. And soon Neal joined the conversation by yelling at Emma, followed by Charming, who was just trying to get them all to settle down.

Hook simply stood there watching. His thoughts were far as he imagined what Regina was going through in that moment, where she was and why she had gone without a fight. There had to be a reason.

"Henry," he said a loud, though he hadn't even realized he did until the room grew quiet and everyone turned to him.

"What?"

"That's how they got her to leave without a fight. There were no signs of a struggle because they threatened the most important thing in the world to her: Henry."

Emma turned once more to her parents. "We need answers."

"I don't know what to do, Tamara isn't answering her phone," Neal said.

"Well then we need to go to someone else for answers," Snow said.

"Who?" asked Charming.

"My dad," Neal said quietly.

"Neal," Emma said as she walked over to him. "I know you don't want his help but we need it. Regina could be in danger and that means Henry is at risk too."

"I know. Just do it."

"Snow and I will go see Gold. Why don't you two wait here with Hook?" Charming told them. "Maybe try to keep him calm," he added with a whisper that he didn't think Hook would hear.

They all nodded. Snow and Charming rushed out of the room. Hook resumed his pacing.

It seemed like hours were passing. Every time the clock ticked, Hook's body tensed up more and more. Eventually he heard Emma talking to Neal, apologizing for having to go to his father for help. Neal was silent, mostly. Every now and then he'd say something about Tamara and how she couldn't possibly be involved in whatever was happening. Hook just continued pacing.

"Hook, it's been twenty minutes and you're still walking around this tiny apartment like a mad man," Emma said, finally seeming to remember that he was still there with her and Neal.

Hook ignored her and continued pacing. He looked at the clock again. One minute had gone by.

"Why don't you sit down?"

He walked some more.

"Hook, I'm sure Regina is fine. Everything will be fine-"

He kicked a chair that stood beside him and it fell over. "Nothing is fine, Emma! Stop saying that bloody word. I left Regina and now she is missing. She is not fine! This is not fine. You know perfectly well that if whoever the hell these people are managed to capture her, they are capable of a lot more than that. So don't sit there and patronize me like I'm a damn fool because I know that it is not fine that the woman I love is missing."

Emma and Neal stared at him, clearly shocked from his outburst. He always got the feeling that neither of them knew how strong his feelings for Regina were. Well, now they did.

Just as Neal stood up to say something, the door swung open and Snow and Charming came scrambling in.

"What is it? Where is she?" Hook asked before they even had time to close the door behind them.

"It's bad, Hook," Charming said, glancing quickly at the toppled chair before helping Snow sit down. "She's… she's being tortured."

Hook felt like the world had just collapsed on his chest, but he tried hard not to show it. Regina, his Regina, was being harmed at that very moment, and he was completely helpless to stop it.

"She's strapped down to a table or something. She can't stop them. I think they've tampered with her magic," Snow told them. Her face was damp with tears.

"Do you know where she is?"

"Yes we think we can figure it out but-"

"Well then let's go," he ordered as he headed towards the door.

"Hold on there," Charming said as he put a hand out to stop Hook from leaving. Hook glared down at his hand and Charming quickly removed it. "Don't you think we should organize a plan before we head out on a rescue mission?"

Hook groaned and took a step back.

"Hook said there were two people waiting outside Regina's house earlier, Tamara and some man. Why don't we split up? Neal and I will handle Tamara, you two can take the man," Emma propositioned. "And Hook-"

"I'll get Regina." He waited for someone to object but they all seemed to be in agreement. "Splendid. Let's go."

But before they could even take a step, the door swung open once more, this time with Henry and Ruby.

"Oh, cool, everyone's here!" Henry said excitedly as he headed straight for the kitchen.

"Is everything okay?" Ruby asked with caution, taking in the room full of adults that probably looked like they were ready for war.

"Not exactly…" Snow started.

Hook closed his eyes to will himself to remain calm. He couldn't lash out; it would scare Henry. He couldn't leave; it would be foolish to try to go up against two people that had somehow beaten a magical queen. He could only wait.

"What's for dinner? If everyone is staying can we get pizza? We haven't had pizza in a while." Henry spoke quickly and loudly. He walked back over to all of the adults and stood in the center of them all. "Hey… what's going on? And where's my mom?" he finally asked, the nervousness evident in his tone.

"Henry…" Emma began gently and carefully.

Hook could feel himself getting towards his breaking point.

"I need you to try not to panic…"

Hook couldn't take it much longer.

"But the thing is…"

And that was it. Hook finally snapped. He grabbed Henry's arm and spun him around quickly, careful not to hurt him; he was Regina's son, after all. He leaned down so that he was eye level with him. He heard Neal give him a warning but he ignored him.

"Henry, you want to grow up to be brave, correct? A strong, brave man?" Henry nodded. "Well then you need to listen very carefully, alright? Your mother is in danger."

"Hook!" Snow yelled.

"We can save her though," Hook continued, ignoring everyone else in the room. "All of us here in this room can rescue your mother, including you. All you have to do is stay in this apartment with Ruby and let the rest of us go get your mother. Can you do that, my boy?"

There was a silence as Henry looked around at everyone. Hook wasn't sure if he was about to run away or cry or maybe a mixture of both. Finally he turned back to Hook.

"I can do that. Go save my mom."

Hook actually smiled at him and gave him a pat on the arm that he had previously been gripping.

And with that they followed Hook out the door. Once on the street, he let the rest of them lead the way and he tried to focus on anything besides what Regina was currently going through. He just had to get there. He just needed to focus and hurry and get to Regina.

Oh, why did he have to storm out this morning?

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the feedback on the first chapter! I'm still in the process of planning this story out and tomorrow my classes begin again but I will try to update as quickly as possible. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

They arrived at the building where the Charming's believed Regina was being held. Hook split up from everyone almost immediately. He was sure they had stopped once inside to figure out where the two groups would go once they split up and what they should do once they found someone, but Hook didn't listen. He broke out into a run. In fact, the only thing he could hear was his heart pounding in his ears; that, and the words of Regina from earlier that day.

"Why can't this be enough for you? Storybrooke and tea and this house and me."

He needed to find her. His searching became frantic. He needed to tell her that it would be enough to live here with her. It would be enough to live anywhere with her, to do anything with her. Being with her would be enough for him. He needed to find her.

By the time he reached the top floor, he felt as if his feet were acting on their own accord. He went in whichever direction he went. There were no thoughts. There was no planning. He just ran, with one hand on his sword and his mind on one thing: getting to Regina before it was too late.

Finally he found a door and he somehow knew she was in there before he even saw her. He opened the door so fast that it bounced back a little when it hit the wall behind it.

And there she was.

He had never seen her look so small. She was secured to a table; her wrists seemed bruised around the straps. There were wires stuck all over her body. Her head drifted to one side as if she was sleeping.

He walked over to her slowly, grateful that the room was empty and sending a quick, uncharacteristic prayer that the Charming group had caught whoever it was that did this to his Regina.

When he reached her he quickly unfastened everything that tied her down and then allowed himself a moment to check the damage that was done. He put his finger on her neck to check for a pulse; faint but there nonetheless.

For a moment he slipped out of reality. He forgot that they were in danger and they needed to get out of there quickly. He forgot everything and he just simply looked at her. He cupped her cheek with his good hand. He took in the fact that she was breathing. She was alive, even if she didn't seem like she was in that moment.

Suddenly he found two big brown eyes staring back at him. Hook had a habit of getting lost in those eyes. They were capable of changing his emotions and scrambling his words if he stared for too long. But this time, he needed to look into them for as long as he could. Something inside of him told him not to look away; which was good because he couldn't. He couldn't even blink. All he could do was study those brown eyes. They were emotionless. There were no signs of pain or anger or even… anything. He wanted to ask her something. He needed to get her to speak, to tell him if something hurt. He couldn't find the words though. All he could manage was, "Regina."

And the moment ended. Her eyes closed. It seemed like she had been awake for minutes, but it had only been a matter of seconds. And the seconds slipped away too quickly. She was gone, sinking back into unconsciousness.

He didn't have time to wonder if that was a good sign or a bad sign. In one quick movement he scooped her up into his arms; one arm under her knee and the other behind her back, cradling her as close to him as possible. He walked quickly, but carefully, though if Regina had been awake she would have said he didn't check his surroundings enough. Then she would have rolled her eyes and made him put her down so that she could lead the way. Such a stubborn lass.

Hook snapped out of his thoughts when he heard commotion coming from somewhere behind him.

He needed to hurry.

Moments later he was at the Charming's apartment once more, except this time he carried Regina in his arms. She was light and limp as Hook placed her gently on the bed. He sat beside her and immediately let out a sigh of relief.

He had done it. He had gotten her out safely and she was alive. Regina was alive and safe and right beside him.

Hook barely even had time to smile. The door was flung open and the Charming's rushed in. They were all out of breath and talking at once. From what Hook gathered, though, the general consensus was triumphant.

"We did it, Hook!" Neal yelled as he shut the door to the apartment behind him.

"Snow and I fought off Greg, who went running out of the building like a scared child. Unfortunately he did manage to take a bean with him. Emma and Neal handled Tamara."

"And we can see it worked, because you have Regina," Snow said with a smile. She looked relieved.

"Yes, I have the Queen," Hook said as he stood up and walked over to the group. "She hasn't woken up yet but she's alive; that's all that matters. I owe you all my deepest gratitude. Without your aid, Regina may not have…" he trailed off, not wanting to even finish the sentence. "Just… thank you."

They all nodded, save for Emma who had started glancing around the room.

"Where's Henry?"

Suddenly everyone stopped what they were doing and started looking around too. Sure enough, the boy was gone. There were no signs of Ruby either.

"Was he here when you got here, Hook?" Neal asked.

"I, uh, I hadn't noticed," he admitted. "I brought Regina to the bed and you lot came in shortly after."

"He's gone. He's not here," Emma told them, panic already starting to set in.

"Ruby is gone too. Something isn't right," Snow said.

"You don't think something happened to them, do you?" Charming asked Snow.

"Who would want to hurt Henry and Ruby? This doesn't make any-"

"Snow!" At that moment the door was once again flung open and Ruby ran in as if on cue. Hook used the distraction to glance at Regina, who was still out cold on the bed.

"Ruby, where is Henry?" Emma practically yelled. Hook could tell that she already knew this was bad.

"Tamara and Greg… they-they-they came in here and-and took us," Ruby stuttered out in a rush. "They tied me up and took Henry. They were running. I-I-I don't know where they went!"

Hook watched as Emma's world collapsed around her. He was certain she would have fallen over if Neal hadn't grabbed onto her arm.

"Why would they want Henry?" Snow asked as tears started to fall from her eyes.

There was a silence that was filled with worries that no one dared to voice.

"Wait a second, Hook, didn't you say there was only one way Regina would have freely given herself over to Tamara and Greg? If they threatened Henry." Hook nodded. "That's why they took her then. It was all a distraction. They've been after Henry this whole time." Neal let go of Emma just to walk over to the front door and slam it shut out of frustration.

"Well then we have another problem because they also have a bean with them."

Everyone sighed as Emma gathered her things. "We have to go."

Neal was right behind her. Everyone started to move except for Hook.

"Wait. What are we going to do about Regina? We can't very well just leave her here," he said to them.

"He's right," Neal said.

"Neal, we have to go. Henry is out there with a bunch of psychos. We can't wait any longer," Emma said before she looked at Hook. "Regina would want us to go."

Hook looked into the eyes of a mother without her child. For the first time since meeting Emma, he saw fear; cold, hard fear. She was silently pleading with him to let her go save her son. Hook knew he couldn't ask her to stay. He couldn't ask her not to go after Regina's son.

"You two go, we'll be right behind you," Snow cut in before Hook had the chance to speak. Still, Emma and Neal looked at him and waited for him to nod once before rushing out the door. That left only Snow, Charming, Ruby, Hook and an unconscious Regina.

"Okay!" Snow said as confidently as she could with shaky hands and a weak voice. "We need to wake her up."

"The only way I know how to wake someone up is with true love's kiss," Charming said wearily.

Hook could feel all eyes on him.

"I couldn't… I don't think I'm the one to…" he stuttered, cursing himself for suddenly becoming so nervous.

"Hook," Snow said as she stepped up to him. She had that caring look on her face that made him want to roll his eyes. He stopped himself though. Now wasn't the time. "Have you and Regina said that you love each other yet?"

He sighed. "Yes."

"Well I understand that you're nervous because-"

"Because she might not bloody wake up."

"Yes, she might not wake up. But you don't strike me as a person who would say something you don't mean. And I know Regina well enough to know that she wouldn't do that either."

He shook his head and looked back at Regina, whom was still lying peacefully on the bed. "Saying it is one thing. Sure we could both mean it but… Regina's true love was Daniel. I'm not enough to wake her up. I can't."

"Regina loved Daniel. She really, really loved him. He was her first love. But she lost him a long time ago, just like you lost Milah. And she has grown and changed and learned a lot about herself since then, just like you have. And now she loves someone else. "

"We've all seen it Hook. We've seen you two together. You can wake her up," Charming chimed in

Hook looked back at Snow to receive an encouraging smile. Charming was behind her and he gave Hook a nod. Even Ruby seemed to believe in him and he didn't exactly consider her a friend, nor she him.

He was still nervous. He still didn't think it would work. He knew his love for her was true. He had loved once before so he knew very well that with Regina it was deeper. It was much more real. He was confident about his role in this. But what if Regina felt differently? What if her love for Daniel was stronger than her feelings for Hook?

Regardless, he slowly walked over to Regina and took a seat by her side again.

"Regina," he said quietly so that no one in the room could hear him, except for maybe her. "Please come back to me, my love."

He leaned down and kissed her gently, careful not to hurt her and also still rather scared that his already damaged heart would be irrevocably broken in a few moments. As he pulled away, he was certain his heart had stopped. Time stood still. No one in the room so much as breathed.

Until finally, Regina opened her eyes.

Hook breathed a sigh of relief. He heard everyone behind him celebrating lightly. He turned to look at them as they hugged and laughed, not even having time to think about how Regina and him had true love together. All that mattered was that she was awake, really awake, not like before. She was really looking him this time

"Regina, you've no idea how happy I am to see those eyes looking back at me," he told her with a chuckle.

He didn't notice the look in her eyes or the way that she wasn't smiling back. He didn't realize that she had tensed up at how close he was to her. It wasn't until she flinched back a little that he noticed something was off. He looked at her curiously. No one else in the room seemed to sense anything was wrong until a few moments later. The room had grown quiet as everyone waited for her to speak.

And then finally, she asked the one question that sent them all into an even bigger panic than they already were in.

"Who are you?"

**A/N: Got this chapter up as soon as possible. School started so I will try to write the next one whenever I have free time. Hope you enjoyed this! Thanks for reading, as always. And sorry about the cliffhanger!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I know I usually do these at the end of the chapter but one thing you need to know before reading this is that Whale and Ruby aren't together in this story. They may or may not get together by the end. I don't want to spoil it though! Happy reading!**

The silence that filled the room reminded Hook of all the times in the morning when he awoke before Regina, and he would simply lie beside her and watch her sleep. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had done that very same thing to him, yet it was only a few hours ago. The only different between the silences was that this one was sinister. There was no peacefulness, no calm, not beauty. Only horror.

"Regina, are you all right?" Charming asked. Hook still sat on the bed by her but he couldn't speak.

"How do you know my name? Who are you?" she asked as she pulled the covers closer to her. She was so scared. Hook didn't know what to do so he stood up and backed away to try to calm her down.

"We're your… friends," Snow said. "Well, sort of. We're family. You don't remember us?"

"No. No, I don't know any of you. Where am I? I shouldn't be here. This isn't right." Regina was panicking. Hook had never seen her like this. All he could do was watch her. He wasn't able to form words. His Regina was gone.

"Regina, are you hurt?" Charming asked.

"I'm not hurt. I'm fine. Please don't come near me. Just let me go. I just want to go home. Please."

"Hook, she isn't hurt and she's safe here. We need to get to Emma and Neal and hopefully Henry," he heard Snow say.

"You guys go, I'll stay here with her. She'll be okay," Ruby told them.

Someone told Hook they could deal with Regina and her missing memory later. He felt someone tug at his arm and he finally turned and ran out with Snow and Charming. The next thing he knew they were at the docks. Emma and Neal were there. Emma was yelling.

"Where have you been? They took Henry!" she screamed.

"We have a problem with Regina. Whatever Tamara and Greg did to her this morning… it wiped away her memory," Charming explained.

"Is she okay?" Neal asked.

"She'll be fine," Snow said as she looked at Hook while answering Neal's question. "We need to focus on Henry."

"We got here as they threw a bean. It was only just before you guys got here, they can't be too far," Emma said.

"I'm afraid that's not how portals work, dearie," Hook heard from somewhere behind him. He turned around to see Rumplestiltskin walking up to them with his cane in one hand and Belle's hand in the other.

"Well then what are we going to do, Neal? He's our son! He's in another realm without us!" Emma said as she turned to Neal. She was yelling again.

"We need something to transport us, something that can travel between worlds."

"My ship," Hook whispered, speaking for the first time since Regina awoke. "Take my ship."

"Take it?"

"I have to stay behind with Regina. I can't leave her. Bael- er, Neal, you remember how to steer, I presume?"

"I can do it."

"I can do my best to track Tamara and Greg and the boy," Rumple told them.

Emma didn't wait another second. She was running towards Hook's ship with Neal following closely behind. Rumple and Belle walked away from the group and started talking to each other quietly. Snow and Charming looked at each other and seemed to silently agree upon something before Charming chased after Emma and Neal. That left only Hook and Snow.

"Hook, you need to find the Blue Fairy. Bring her to Regina and see if she can do anything."

Hook nodded.

"I know it seems like this horrible thing has happened and there is no hope-"

She was interrupted by a scoff from Hook.

"_But_, " she continued. "There _is_ hope. Charming and I lost our memories when Regina- er, when we were cursed," she stumbled out, trying to avoid saying anything bad about Regina in front of him. "And we found our way back to each other. Regina will come back. It just may take some time."

"Yes, and then everything will be all sunshine and daisies and we'll all live happily ever after, I'm sure," Hook said sarcastically. He was only still standing here listening to her babble because he was trying to postpone returning to Regina.

Snow smiled sadly for a moment at his sarcasm. "Just remember that she's still in there, Hook. Don't lose hope."

And with that, she ran to catch up with the rest of the group as they set sail on his ship. His home was gone. His love's memory, the thing that made her who she was, was gone. The only people in town who dared to give Hook a second chance were gone.

Hook felt utterly alone.

And then he saw Belle standing a few feet away. She had the same look on her face that he probably did. He realized she too had just said goodbye to a large part of her life.

She seemed to sense that he was watching her. "He asked me to look after the town while he is gone and while Regina is…"

"Gone," he finished for her.

She nodded. Hook didn't want her to offer him any advice or try to cheer him up. Thankfully, she didn't. He wondered if maybe she needed some advice or cheering up herself, though he surely wasn't going to give her any of that.

"You can go to Regina's house and get any papers you may need from her office. The door is open."

"The Blue Fairy is probably at Granny's Diner. She usually has lunch there around this time."

Hook had never considered Belle a friend. Actually, he had never considered her at all. He had almost killed her multiple times. She was the girl that had forgiven the Dark One for all of his wrongdoings though, so maybe she would be able to see past his as well.

Before he could dwell on it any longer, they parted ways.

Hook arrived back at the Charming's apartment soon after with the Blue Fairy by his side. She was weary of assisting Regina and him at first, but after he told her that Snow had requested her help and also quietly threatening to burn down Granny's Diner if she didn't go with him, she begrudgingly stood up and followed him to where Regina was.

When they got there, Regina was still in bed. She was sitting up now and seemed to have gotten some of her strength back. She no longer seemed like she was on the verge of passing out at any given moment. Ruby was standing awkwardly in the kitchen.

Out of instinct, Hook headed straight for Regina. "Hello, love. I'm sorry it took so log. I got back here as soon as I could." For a moment he forgot all about her memory and he took a seat on the bed and reached for her hand. He had never seen someone move away so quickly. She didn't stand up, probably because she was still tired from whatever torture she went through that morning, but she was as close to the edge of the bed that she could possibly get. She didn't say anything; honestly she looked too scared to speak. Hook thought she may have even been shaking a little but he stood up before he could know for sure.

"I'm sorry, darling, I didn't mean to-"

"Why are you calling me that? I don't know you. Please let me leave. Please," she pleaded. Her eyes were filled with tears that made Hook's heart hurt. He looked back at Ruby, who could only look back at him.

"Hi, Regina. My name is Mother Superior," the Blue Fairy said calmly as she slowly walked over to the bed as Hook walked away from it. "I just want to help you, is that okay?"

Regina wiped her eyes and shrugged. "Do I have a choice?"

"Of course you have a choice. You are not here against your will, Regina. May I try to explain your situation to you?"

She didn't look like she wanted to hear anything that anyone in the room had to tell her but she nodded once anyway.

The Blue Fairy stopped walking when she was just a few feet away from her. "From what I understand, your memory has been affected by some trauma that you went through this morning. I think that cuff on your wrist may be causing you some… setbacks. It might be the reason that your memory is gone so we need to get it off. Would it be okay if I removed it for you?" She spoke softly and it seemed to calm Regina down a little because she gave her permission to remove the cuff.

The fairy pulled out her wand and started to do some sort of magic that Hook didn't understand. He kept an eye on her while he stood next to Ruby in the kitchen.

"Did she say anything while I was gone?" Hook asked.

"She just kept asking if she could leave. She wasn't as scared once everyone left, though once you walked in she almost went running," she said with a laugh.

"Maybe things would have been different if she had known she was in the room with a killer werewolf," Hook shot back at her.

Ruby didn't say anything else and neither did Hook. Things had always been tense between the two of them. Emma said it was because neither of them had the ability to pretend to like someone out of politeness.

The Blue Fairy finished the magic and the cuff slipped off of Regina's wrist with ease.

"Regina, do you know who that man over there is?"

Regina looked at him, but he knew immediately that she didn't know him. It was like looking at a wall. She had no emotion. Their eyes connected but there was no connection.

"No."

Everyone in the room sighed as the Blue Fairy walked over to Hook and Ruby.

"I'm sorry, that is all I can do. The cuff is gone but Tamara and Greg caused her body damage without using magic which means there is no spell that can reverse it."

"What the bloody hell does that mean?" Hook asked.

"It means that there is nothing more my wand can do for her. My best instructions would be to get Dr. Whale over here to look at her and see what his medicine can do. I'm sorry, I have to go now."

"Dr. Whale? He isn't getting anywhere near her. He'd probably use her lost memory to his benefit and try to get her out on a date. Besides, Regina doesn't like him. She wouldn't want his help."

"Yes, Whale is a bit of a… well, quite frankly, he's an ass. But you need his help. And if you recall, the Regina that doesn't like him isn't here right now. This Regina just needs to see a doctor and he's the only one we've got," Ruby told him sharply.

Hook looked at Regina, who was still sitting in bed and looking around the apartment like a scared child. He sighed and nodded.

"I should go too," Ruby said. "I'll find Whale and send him over."

"Wait," Hook said to them quietly so that Regina couldn't hear them. "Ruby, Regina was comfortable when it was just the two of you here. I know you don't like me, and believe me, my dear, the feeling is mutual, but I need your help. I need you to tell Regina who I am. She won't believe me if I say it."

Ruby seemed like she was going to reject him but then she groaned. "You're right, I don't like you," she said and walked over to Regina.

"Regina, Mother Superior and I have to go now. We're leaving you with him," she told her as she pointed to Hook.

"You're leaving me with _him_? Alone?" Regina asked in disbelief. "He could be… He could be dangerous for all I know."

"Aw, my feelings are hurt, love," Hook joked. Regina didn't crack a smile and Ruby glared at him.

"He isn't dangerous. This is Captain Hook. I know you don't recognize him and he feels like a stranger to you, but you're actually very close with him. He's sort of your… boyfriend. I have to admit that he is a good man to you. He will keep you safe, I promise."

Regina still didn't seem convinced. "How can you be sure? I don't know him. I know I don't. Please just let me stay here alone. I'm fine!"

"Regina, you don't even know who you are. And you've been through quite the ordeal. We simply cannot let you stay here by yourself," Mother Superior said.

Regina looked like she was going to start crying again but suddenly Ruby seemed to have a good idea.

"I think I know something that could make you feel more comfortable with this," she told Regina. "Have you ever heard of True Love's Kiss?"

Regina sighed. "Yes of course. It's the most powerful thing in the world. It can break through almost anything."

"Yes, exactly! Now after you went through your… accident this morning, you weren't conscious. The only way we could get you to wake up was if Hook kissed you. True Love's Kiss."

"That can't be true," she said quietly to herself before looking up at Hook, who smiled happily at her.

Regina's shoulder's slumped as she accepted that there was no way out this. Ruby gave her one final reassuring smile, and one final glare to Hook, before her and Mother Superior left.

And then the apartment was quiet. Regina in the bed, Hook in the kitchen, neither daring to speak.

They simply stared at each other, until Regina broke the silence.

"Where's Daniel?"


	5. Chapter 5

Hook felt like he got the wind knocked out of him. She had lost the memory of everything except for _Daniel_. Not only was she scared of Hook because she didn't know him, but now she was also still in love with another man.

"Where is he?" she pressed.

"Perhaps we could start with an easier question, love, like how you-"

"Please, _please_, tell me where Daniel is. I just need to know that he's okay. I don't know why I'm here or where here even is and Daniel isn't beside me. I need to know. Please."

Hook sighed and walked closer to her, moving slowly so that he had time to choose his words carefully. Although, was there a way to carefully break the heart of the woman you love?

"What's the last thing you remember?"

She hesitated. "Well, I remember I was at home. I was in the barn and Daniel was with me. We were planning on running away." A faint smile appeared on her face as she thought of the memory. "That's it. After that I can only remember waking up here."

Hook slowly sat down on the bed once more, but Regina didn't move back this time, which he was thankful for. He needed to be close to her as he told her this.

"Regina, darling, you need to understand that that memory is from a very, very long time ago. I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, but not long after that moment in the barn, Daniel died."

Regina's face became still. The ghost of her smile still lingered, but her eyes were as blank as they were the moment she awoke not long ago. "What?"

"He's dead, Regina."

The smile was gone as those words registered in her head. "No, that's not possible. We're going to get married. W-We love each other! You're wrong. You have to be wrong."

"I'm not wrong. I wish I was."

"This is a mistake. Daniel can't be… He can't be… How? How did he die?"

Hook wanted to tell her slowly. He wanted to choose the right words. Unfortunately, his instincts kicked in and told him to get it out as quickly as possible. "He was killed. It was… Murder."

Her eyes grew with surprise. He knew the tears were coming; it was only a matter of time. "Who? Who could've… Who would've…" she struggled to get the words out.

"Regina-" he started to speak but was interrupted.

"Oh, Daniel!" she cried out right before she broke down. She had previously been sitting upright in bed but now she collapsed down onto the pillows as if her body had simply given out. She was shaking. Every wretched sob that crept out of her cut him like a knife.

He didn't know what to do so he stood up and backed away to give her room. She didn't notice. She didn't seem to notice anything in the world. The only thing she noticed was that Daniel was dead. Hook needed to get away. He couldn't stand here and watch this woman, this woman that he loved that didn't know who he was. He couldn't watch her cry without being able to comfort her. Without saying a word, he quickly made for the door and ran out into the hall.

Hook could still hear her through the closed door. He heard every cry, every breath, and every ounce of pain that left her. He wanted to run as far away as he could but he couldn't. Instead he leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor.

When Regina hurt, he hurt too. That was just the way it was. Ever since they got close to each other, he was connected to her in every way possible. He didn't know how to exist, how to carry on and be happy, if Regina was crying.

And so he didn't run away. He sat on the floor and waited with her, even though she didn't know it. He waited for hours, just listening to the sound of her sobs.

Time didn't pass quickly, but pass it did. Hours went by and Regina eventually grew quiet. Hook waited a little while longer in the silence to make sure she was finished crying. Normally he wouldn't mind being with her to ease her pain as she cried; in fact, he would have preferred to be sitting right by her side rather than out in the hall. But he knew she didn't want that. The only thing she wanted was Daniel and since he couldn't give her that, the least he could do was give her the privacy to grieve.

Finally he stood up and opened the door. Regina was sitting upright in the bed again, her arms wrapped around her knees and her cheeks stained with tears. She looked catatonic; her eyes were unmoving and if he didn't know better he would've assumed she wasn't breathing. For a while he simply watched her, afraid that any sudden words or swift movements might send her back into hysterics.

"Regina, I need you to know that it will get better. You will get through this. I've seen you do it before."

She didn't say anything. He thought he saw her eyes flicker to him quickly but they were back to simply staring straight ahead before he could be sure. "Daniel would want you to be strong and he'd want you to learn how to be happy again without him."

He saw more tears escape her eyes.

"Love, I-"

"_Don't_."

He shut his mouth and immediately regretted his poor choice of words. To Regina, it must have seemed like a stranger was flirting with her right after her boyfriend died. "I'm sorry, dar…Regina. I shouldn't have called you that."

She didn't acknowledge that he spoke again. He wondered if she had forgotten that he was there at all. He didn't want to say anything, so he decided to offer her some rum. That always helped him handle his pain. He was surprised when she reached out and took the bottle from his hand. After a few big sips, she wiped her tears and looked at him.

"You said this all happened a long time ago. How long has it been?" she asked him, her voice hoarse.

"I don't know how to answer that," he admitted.

She looked either surprised or annoyed. Hook wasn't sure. "Who killed him?"

There was a long silence. "I… I'm not sure how to… It's not…"

Regina sighed with frustration. "How was he killed?"

"His heart was taken from him. It was ripped right out of his chest," Hook told her quickly. He wasn't surprised when Regina started crying again and he ran his hand threw his hair as he started to pace.

Regina couldn't love the man who told her all of the horrible details of her life. She wouldn't want to be near him. She wouldn't be happy to see him. And he couldn't be the one to tell her all of those details. He couldn't cause her any pain. And he wouldn't allow anyone else to do it either.

"Did you kill Daniel?" she asked quietly, nervousness evident in her tone.

Hook stopped walking, partially because he was taken aback by her shy question and partially because he needed her to know that he was very serious when he answered her. He looked her very deeply in the eyes. "No, Regina. I did not kill Daniel. I would never do that. That is not why I don't want to tell you who did."

She held his eye contact for a moment before nodding, which told him that she believed him. He felt a sense of relief watch over him. He could get over a lot of obstacles, but not that one.

"Well then why won't you tell me?"

"I don't want you to think I'm lying to you or being cruel. But Regina, I just… I can't tell you the parts of your past that are going to hurt you. I can't do that. I can't watch you cry or see you in pain. It does something to me that I'm sure you don't understand right now."

"You're not going to tell me who I am?"

"You're Regina Mills."

"That's not what I mean. You're not going to tell me the things that have happened to me that have made me who I am?"

"I can't," he said helplessly. He felt so weak. He needed to be strong though, strong enough for the both of them and he couldn't do that if he had to tell her all the things that nearly broke her before. Without her memory, without having anything in her life feel familiar and safe to her, that information _would_ break her this time.

He expected her to yell or curse him or maybe throw something at him because she thought he was being unreasonable, and he was, but then he remembered that this was a different woman sitting in front of him. And although she looked angry, she bit her tongue and kept her mouth closed. Oh, this would take some getting used to.

A knock at the door interrupted them and Hook was relieved that it had distracted Regina from whatever terrible thoughts she was thinking about him at the moment. The feeling of relief vanished as soon as he opened the door and saw Dr. Whale standing before him.

"Good afternoon, Captain," he said in his usual pretentious tone.

"If you harm her, I'll have your heart on my sword."

"Ah, nice to see you too," Whale smiled as he walked past Hook and towards Regina.

"Hello, Regina. I'm Dr. Whale. I know you're having some memory problems so I went through the trouble of bringing over my certificate, my license, and my fancy personalized lab coat," he told her with a warm, fake smile. Hook rolled his eyes and much to his dismay, Regina returned Whale's smile with a small one of her own.

"Hi, Dr. Whale."

"Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

She shook her head.

"Great. Are you feeling any discomfort?"

"My head hurts. My body feels a little sore but nothing too bad."

"I'm sure all of that is due to the trauma I've been told you went through this morning. You should be feeling-"

"Dr. Whale, what exactly was the trauma I went through?" She looked at Hook as she asked it.

"No one's told you?"

"I didn't think it wise to burden her with too much information right as she woke up," Hook explained. "She's been through enough today and-"

"No. No one has told me anything."

"Well, Regina, this morning you were captured."

"Whale…" Hook warned.

"And your abductors tortured you."

"Captured? Why would someone capture me?" she asked in disbelief.

"I'm not sure. Old enemies perhaps? Maybe they were still angry about the cur-"

"That's enough, Dr. Whale. Are you here to chat or would you care to continue with the examination?"

Regina sighed and Whale apologized. He continued examining her in silence. Finally he finished and started to get his belongings together.

"Unfortunately there are limitations to conducting an exam like this in a home environment. I'm sure you can understand, however, that I would rather do it here than at the hospital. I don't think all that new technology and equipment would have been good for you to experience today." Regina looked confused but didn't argue. "I am still able to come to the diagnosis that you are suffering from amnesia."

"What does that mean?" Regina and Hook asked in unison.

"It means that there is nothing I can do for you. The only cure is time."

"_Time_? You mean the only thing we can do is bloody wait?" Hook asked.

"I'm afraid so."

"Is there anything I can do?" Regina asked desperately.

"Not really. I recommend getting back into your old routine. Maybe hearing some stories of the things you forget will trigger something."

Regina looked at Hook but he didn't budge. He held her eye contact as he spoke to Whale. "I'm not telling Regina anything."

Whale laughed once as he sensed the tension in the room. "I see. Well, rest up for as long as you need to and then try out some of your old activities. Can you both agree on that?"

"Fine."

"Yes, sounds divine. We appreciate you stopping by as much as we'd appreciate it if you'd be on your way now."

Whale smiled tightly to him as he turned back to Regina. "If there is anything else you need, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Dr. Whale."

Hook's stomach turned at the sincerity of her voice. It wasn't fair that Whale could hide that his main line of work was creating zombie dead people or that Ruby could hide the fact that she becomes a killer werewolf in her spare time. Hook couldn't hide that he was a pirate. He had a hook for a hand and a sword in his belt. Not only was he a stranger, but in Regina's eyes he was a dangerous pirate as well. The dangerous pirate who told her that the man she loved was dead. The dangerous pirate who couldn't give her answers.

"Are you holding me here hostage?" Regina asked quietly once they were alone again.

"Course not, sweetheart. I know it's hard to wrap your mind around today but I am not your enemy. I will not hurt you."

She was quiet.

"Would you like to go home? I must admit this apartment is a little chirpy for my taste."

"Home? To the farm?"

"Suppose I should've been more clear. I meant your house here in Storybrooke."

"Storybrooke," she repeated to herself, trying to see if it would ring any bells. "We're in Storybrooke."

"That's right. And you're a home owner here!" he said excitedly and hoped she would get excited too. She didn't though.

Hook avoided an awkward silence by beginning to gather Regina's things. He watched her out of the corner of his eye and saw her start to slowly sit up. She pushed the blankets off of her and swung her legs off the side so that she was sitting on the bed with her feet on the floor. She paused and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," she said with a hint of her old stubbornness. "Just a little sore. It's nothing."

He didn't believe that she was fine. He saw that face before, when she was sick, when Henry went days without calling. Regina was in pain, but he pretended not to notice to make her happy.

Regina sat on the bed for a few more minutes before she seemed to gather more strength. She took a deep breath to ready herself and she stood up.

All it took was one fraction of a flinch on Regina's face before Hook dropped everything he was holding and was at her side. He got there just in time, Regina's legs had given out and she was about to fall to the ground. She gripped his arms tightly as he helped her get back to standing position.

For a moment she seemed appreciative to have him there. He swore he saw the tiniest hint of a smile. It was gone too quickly though as she tensed up and pulled herself away from him. He put his hands up to surrender and show her he wouldn't touch her again and she didn't say anything. She slowly started walking again and Hook stayed right by her side, grateful that she was allowing him that.

If she needed him, he would be there. He would catch her even if she didn't want to be caught.

**A/N: So, so, so sorry for the wait. School has been really busy this week but luckily things seem like they will be cleared for a bit now. Can you believe we're less than a week away from the premiere? I caught some Hooked Queen interaction in one of the promos released recently! I can't wait. I'll have more time to write this week so I will try to get a new chapter up before the premiere, if not it will definitely be up not long after. If I don't post again before the premiere, I hope you guys enjoy it! Here we come, season 3! As always, thanks for reading and I hope you liked it!**


	6. Chapter 6

Regina arrived at the place that was apparently her home. She wondered if perhaps the pirate had taken her to the wrong place; she couldn't possibly own a house so big. It looked like it could fit five of the home she had yesterday. Or, however long it had been.

Once inside, she was sure they were in the wrong place. Everything seemed far too fancy for her. It almost felt as if no one lived here. All of the items were perfectly placed in their rightful positions and there wasn't a spec of dust she could see.

"I live here?" she asked a loud, though she hadn't meant for it to slip out.

"Beautiful place, isn't it? Tis no wonder I almost prefer it to my ship," he told her as he put the things in his arms down. He had carried what she assumed were her belongings the entire walk home while he stayed close by her incase she fell again.

"Do you need anything, love?" he asked her once she was settled in on the couch.

She shook her head because she was stubborn. She could've really used a drink but she didn't want to ask the man for anything. Besides, he seemed distracted even while he asked the question. His eyes were rimmed with black and he always seemed to have a cocky grin on his face, but when he wasn't paying attention, the mask slipped away. He was looking around the house rather nostalgically and she noticed that his eyes were sad. Of course this wasn't easy for him either, she thought. He lost something too, if they really were as close as everyone said they were. She wondered if anyone would be able to tell that he was sad, or if she could because they apparently had a strong connection, even if she couldn't remember it.

Finally she decided she needed to stop thinking about the strange man. She didn't know him; she didn't need to be concerned with whomever he was missing. She wasn't that person anymore.

However, she _was_ a person who was thirsty and she needed to do something about it before she grew any weaker.

"Um… Captain Hook?"

"You can just call me Hook. The only time I request my full title is on my ship and in your bedroom," he told her. She felt her face turn crimson as her jaw dropped. Against her will, she even felt a smile forming on her face. She refused to laugh, though. Even though it was challenging, seeing as how Hook was carrying on as if he hadn't said anything at all. It wasn't until he noticed the look on her face that he realized what had happened. "Oh, my apologies. I'm not very good at this, am I?" She was about to agree with him but he spoke again before she had the chance, perhaps on purpose. "What were you about to ask me?"

"I was going to ask where I could go to get something to drink."

He was out of the room and back before she even had the chance to ask where he was going. When he returned he had a glass of water in his hand.

"You need not be wary of asking me for anything. This wouldn't be the first time I took care of you," he told her as he handed her the glass.

She took a few big gulps and decided she had nothing to lose by asking him to explain. He had said he wouldn't tell her anything, but he was the one who brought it up, after all.

"What happened?"

He hesitated before taking a seat in a chair across from the couch.

"It was a few months ago. You had fallen ill. I believe you called it the flu. It was awful. You were bloody miserable. All you wanted to do was sleep and be left alone, and of course all I wanted to do was make sure you were alright. I woke you up almost constantly to check on you."

"You woke up a sick person?" she laughed.

"I was concerned! I didn't know any better. It's no surprise we butted heads all week. We did eventually come to an impasse though. I was allowed in the room with you as long as you could sleep. I lay in bed with you while you rested. We were both happy. That is, until I caught your sickness."

"Really?"

"Aye. And then you took care of me too."

Regina almost smiled. "I like that story."

Hook laughed once. "Who would've thought a tale of us both being miserable and sick would turn out to be the one that we liked the best?"

The room grew silent and the nice moment made Regina forget for a moment that she was terrified. She actually felt comfortable; too comfortable, apparently, because a yawn escaped her mouth. She hoped Hook hadn't noticed. 

"You need to rest," he told her after he noticed the yawn. "Would you like me to show you to your bedroom?"

"No!" she said too quickly. "I mean… I just, I can find it on my own. Where do you sleep?" she asked, terrified to hear the answer.

He hesitated as he watched her so closely that she felt the need to look down at the floor rather than into his eyes.

"I sleep right beside you in your bed." She tried not to show it but she felt as if she was about to scream, or cry, or both. "But, understandably, I can stay at the Charming's apartment for the time being." 

Regina accidentally sighed with relief. She was sure Hook noticed. "I-I'm sorry. I just… this is all still so new to me. I'm sure you're… a nice person, but-"

"Worry not, darling. I'll return in the morning to check on you." 

He was gone in an instant. Regina sat on the couch in silence, feeling the emptiness of the house weigh down on her. On her farm, she could hear animals and the wind and countless other noises. Here, it was like nothing existed. It was just her. 

Regina was completely and utterly alone.

A few hours later, Regina sat in the same tense position in the same uncomfortable couch. The only difference was that now it was dark and she was terrified. 

She had looked around the room but didn't see any lanterns and by this point it was too dark to get up and search for something to start a fire with. On top of the darkness, she kept hearing noises. It was as if the house itself was making them. Sometimes she heard a beep, other times she heard a gust of air that was followed by a cold breeze coming from the ceiling. 

Oh, she wished Daniel was with her. He would look around the house to make sure everything was okay. He would hold her until she wasn't afraid.

She didn't know what new world she was in, but she was sure she didn't like it.

It wasn't until the sun was up that she managed to doze off. 

Barely twenty minutes later, a loud banging on the front door awoke her.

Groggy from her horrific night of no sleep and still disoriented from her memory loss, Regina rose from the couch and somehow found her way to the front door, although once she opened it, she wished she hadn't gotten up at all.

Standing right outside of her house was a large group of people. She didn't recognize anyone but she could tell they were angry. An older woman even looked like she had a weapon. There was a man in the front that was the apparent leader of the group.

"C-can I help you?" Regina asked nervously. 

"Help us? No, you can't help us. We don't want anything else from you. We want you to get out of our town," the man in the front said.

Regina wondered if this was some sort of joke but as she looked around at everyone, she got the feeling that this was a very serious confrontation. 

"Are you sure you have the right house? I… I'm sorry, I don't-"

"Save your apologize. You had a plan to destroy everything, including all of us. You will not be getting any forgiveness," the older woman said. There was a rumble of agreement throughout the group. 

Destroy everything? What were they talking about? What did she do? She couldn't have done whatever it was they were saying she did.

"I'm not sure what's going on. If you would just let me explain-"

"We're done with your explanations. We should have stopped letting you get away with things a long time ago, lady." This time it was a short man standing more towards the back that yelled at her.

"Please, please just tell me what it is you think I did. I don't remember. I can't- I just-" she tried to say but her voice was starting to falter as the crowd seemed to get angrier with every word she spoke. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes.

"Enough talking. We're just giving her more time to get away. Let's get her!" someone yelled and they started moving closer to her house. Regina didn't know what to do. She could feel her heart pounding and the tears were now falling freely down her face. Were these people going to kill her? Why? What had she done to make them so angry? She wanted to run but she couldn't move. Her feet were frozen on the ground. Besides, where would she run to? She got the feeling her farm was much farther away than she could imagine. 

"Is there a problem here?" she heard from someone that wasn't standing before her. It was coming from inside the house and it wasn't angry or scary at all. It was strong and confident, unfazed by the chaos.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and was surprised that when she turned it was Captain Hook standing behind her. He didn't even glance down at her, just softly moved her aside so that he was protectively standing in front of her now. 

Immediately she felt the emotions change throughout the crowd. They all stopped approaching the house and silence fell over them. 

"We didn't come here for you, Captain. This doesn't have to concern you."

"You came for Regina. That concerns me, understood?" 

"We aren't going to hurt her. We just want her out of our town!" someone yelled from the back and the crowd cheered with agreement.

"Let's get one thing clear, mates," Hook said as he placed one hand on the sword he carried in his belt. The crowd instantly got quiet. "Regina isn't going anywhere. If you come back to her home, I will be forced to take… _less than jovial_ measures to rid her of your disruptions. Do I make myself inescapably obvious?" 

No one said a word and apparently Hook took that as a good thing because without a second thought, he slammed the door shut on their shocked faces.

"You alright, love?" he asked, looking at her for the first time since he got there. His eyes flashed to her tear stained cheeks and she noticed that he seemed to be angrily clenching his teeth.

"Who were those people?" she asked as she wiped her tears. 

"They were some of the not-so-friendly town locals."

"What did I do to them?" she whispered, scared to even think about what she could have done. 

Of course, Hook didn't tell her, though. He leaned down so that he was eye length with her and spoke carefully. "You didn't do anything, Regina. They are just confused miscreants. Don't give them a second thought." 

She rubbed her eyes and sighed. Regina was exhausted and stressed and miserable.

"You don't look well." 

She nodded and hoped he couldn't tell that she was once again fighting back tears. She had a feeling that he could.

"I didn't sleep last night. I was on the couch all night and I just sat there and when I finally fell asleep those people started banging on my door," she said quickly, rushing to speak as if she was running from the threat of crying. Tears didn't fall, but her voice cracked.

"Alright, alright, my dear. Just relax. Why don't you go lie down upstairs? You need to sleep."

Regina nodded and she made a decision in her head that she wasn't sure she would like tomorrow. But she had to ask him. She needed him, as much as she didn't want to admit it.

"Hook?" she asked as he started towards the door. He stopped and looked at her. "Do you think… could you stay here with me for awhile?"

There was a smile on his face that he quickly hid, but she saw it. She supposed she was happy that she had made him happy, but at the moment, she could only think about how tired she was.

"I'll stay for as long as you'd like," he told her. He sat down on the uncomfortable couch she had been on all night as Regina went upstairs to her bedroom.

**A/N: I am so so so sorry for how long it took me to post it. I had it completed and then my laptop went screwy so I lost it and had to start all over again. It's been hectic! I hope you all are enjoying season 3 so far. I think it's shaping up to be the best season yet! We're getting a lot of Hooked Queen interaction! Again, I'm so sorry for the delay on this chapter. I hope you liked it though!**


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